<h2>Name</h2>
<p>
The Surah derives its name <em>Al-Ahzab</em> from verse 20.
</p>
<h2>Period of Revelation</h2>
<p>
The Surah discusses three important events which are: the Battle of the
Trench (or <em>Al-Ahzab</em>: the Clans), which took place in Shawwal, A. H. 5;
the raid on Bani Quraizah, which was made in Dhil-Qa'dah, A. H. 5; and
the Holy Prophet's marriage with Hadrat Zainab, which also was
contracted in Dhil-Qa'dah, A. H. 5. These historical events accurately
determine the period of the revelation of this Surah.
</p>
<h2>Historical Background</h2>
<p>
The Islamic army's setback in the Battle of Uhud (A. H. 3) that
resulted from the error of the archers appointed by the Holy Prophet
so boosted up the morale of the Arab pagans and the Jews and the
hypocrites that they started entertaining the hope that they would
soon be able to exterminate Islam and the Muslims completely. Their
high state of morale can be judged from the events that occurred in
the first year after Uhud. Hardly two months had passed then the tribe
of Bani Asad of Najd began to make preparations for a raid on Madinah,
and the Holy Prophet had to despatch an expedition under Abu Salamah
to counteract them. In Safar A. H. 4 some people of the tribes of Adal
and Qarah asked the Holy Prophet to send some men to instruct them in
Islam. Accordingly six of the Companions were allowed to accompany
them for the purpose. But when they reached Raji (a place between
Rabigh and Jeddah), they summoned Hudhail against them, who killed
four of the Companions, and took the other two (Hadrat Khubaib bin Adi
and Hadrat Zaid bin ad-Dathinnah) to Makkah and sold them to the enemy.
Then in the same month of Safar, on the request of a chief of Bani
Amir, the Holy Prophet sent another deputation of 40 (according to
others, 70) preachers, consisting of the Ansar young men, to Najd. But
they were also betrayed. The people of Usayyah and Ri'l and Dhakwan,
tribes of Bani Sulaim, surrounded them suddenly at Bir Maunah and slew
all of them. Meanwhile the Jewish tribe of Bani an-Nadir of Madinah,
getting encouragement, continued to commit breaches of the treaties;
so much so that in Rabi'ul Awwal, A.H. 4, they plotted against the
life of the Holy Prophet himself. Then in Jamadi al-Ula, A. H. 4, Bani
Thalbah and Bani Muharib, the two tribes of Bani Ghatafan, started
making preparations to attack Madinah and the Holy Prophet had to go
to punish them. Thus, after their setback at Uhud, the Muslims went on
encountering repercussions continuously for seven to eight months.
</p>
<p>
However, it was the Holy Prophet's determination and wisdom and his
great Companions' spirit of sacrifice that changed these adverse
conditions completely within a short span of time. The economic
boycott by the Arabs had made life hard for the people of Madinah. All
the polytheistic tribes around Madinah were becoming rebellious.
Inside Madinah itself the Jews and the hypocrites were beat upon
mischief. But the successive steps taken by a handful of the sincere
Muslims, under the leadership of the Holy Prophet, not only restored
the image of strength of Islam in Arabia but also increased it
manifold. 
</p>
<p>
<h2>Raids Preceding the Battle of the Trench</h2>
<p>
The first such step
was taken immediately after the Battle of Uhud. The very next day when
quite a large number of Muslims lay wounded and the martyrdom of the
near and dear ones was being mourned in many houses, and the Holy
Prophet himself was injured and sad at the martyrdom of his uncle,
Hadrat Hamzah, he called out to the devoted servants of Islam to
accompany him in pursuit of the pagans so as to deter them from
returning and attacking Madinah again. The Holy Prophet's assessment
was absolutely correct. He knew that, although the Quraish had
retreated without taking any advantage of their almost complete
victory, they would certainly regret their folly when they would halt
and consider the whole matter coolly on the way, and would return to
attack Madinah again. Therefore, he decided to go in pursuit of them,
and 630 of of the Muslims at once volunteered to accompany him. When
they reached Hamra al-Asad on the way to Makkah and camped there for
three days, the Holy Prophet came to know through a sympathetic non-
Muslim that Abu Sufyan had stayed at Ar-Rauha, 36 miles short of
Madinah, with an army 2,978 strong: they were regretting their error
and were, in fact, planning to return and attack Madinah once agaln.
But when they heard that the Holy Prophet was coming in pursuit of
them with an army, they lost heart and gave up their plan. Thus, not
only were the Quraish deterred by this action but the other enemies
living around Madinah also realized that the Muslims were being led by
a person, who was highly well informed, wise and resolute, and that
the Muslims were ever ready to lay down their lives at his
command.(For further details, see Introduction to Surah Al-i-`Imran and E.N. 122 thereof). 
</p>
<p>
Then
as soon as the Bani Asad started making Preparations for a raid on
Madinah, the Holy Prophet's secret agents gave him timely information
about their intention. Thus, before they could come in force to attack
Madinah, he sent an army 150 strong, under Hadrat Abu Salamah (the
first husband of Hadrat Umm Salamah) to punish them. They took Bani
Asad by surprise, who fled in panic leaving all their possessions
behind, which fell into the Muslim hands. 
</p>
<p>
After this came the turn of
the Bani an-Nadir. The day they plotted against the life of the Holy
Prophet, and the secret was disclosed, the Holy Prophet ordered them
to leave Madinah within ten days and warned that anyone who remained
behind after that would be put to death. Abdullah bin Ubayy, the chief
of the hypocrites of Madinah, encouraged them to defy the order and
refuse to leave Madinah. He even promised to help them with 2,000 men,
and assured them that the Bani Ghatafan from Najd also would come to
their aid. Accordingly, the Bani an- Nadir sent word that they would
not leave no matter what the Holy Prophet might do. 
</p>
<p>
As soon as the
time limit of ten days come to an end, the Holy Prophet laid siege to
their quarters, but none of their supporters had the courage to come
to their rescue. At last, they surrendered on condition that every
three of them would be allowed to load a camel with whatever they
could carry and go away leaving the rest of their possessions behind.
Thus, the whole suburbs of the city which were inhabited by the Bani
an-Nadir, and their gardens and their fortresses and other properties
fell to the Muslims, and the people of this treacherous tribe became
scattered in Khyber, Wad il Qura and Syria. 
</p>
<p>
Then the Holy Prophet
turned his attention to the Bani Ghatafan, who were preparing for a
war against Madinah. He took 400 of the Muslims and overtook them at
Dhat ar-Riqa. They were so taken by surprise that they fled their
houses without a struggle and took refuge in the mountains. 
</p>
<p>
After this
in Shaban A. H. 4, the Holy Prophet went forth to Badr to fight Abu
Sufyan. At the end of the Battle of Uhud, he had challenged the Holy
Prophet and the Muslims, saying, "We shall again meet you in combat at
Badr next year." In reply the Holy Prophet announced through a
Companion: "All right: we accept your challenge." Accordingly, at the
appointed time he reached Badr with 1,500 of the Muslims. From the
other side, Abu Sufyan left Makkah with an army of 2,000 men, but
could not have the courage to march beyond Marr-az-Zahran (modern,
Wadi Fatimah). The Holy Prophet waited for him at Badr for eight days;
the Muslims during these days did profitable business with a trading
party. This incident help- ed more than restore the image of strength
of the Muslims that had been tarnished at Uhud. It also made the whole
of Arabia realize that the Quraish alone could no longer resist
Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings). (Please also refer to E.N. 124 of Al-i-`Imran).
</p>
<p>
This image and
position of the Muslims was further strengthened by another event.
Dumat al-Jandal (modern, Al-Jauf) was an important place at the border
between Arabia and Syria. When the caravans of the Arabs, trading
between Iraq in the south and Syria and Egypt in the north, passed
that way, they were harassed and looted by the natives. In Rabi al-
Awwal, A. H. 5, the Holy Prophet himself went to punish them with an
army of 1,000 men. They could not muster up courage to come out and
fight him and, therefore, fled the place. This caused the whole of
northern Arabia to dread the power of Islam, and the tribes began to
realize that the great power emerging from Al-Madinah was formidable
and could no longer be resisted by one or a few of the tribes.
</p>
<h2>The Battle of the Trench</h2>
<p>
Such were the conditions when the Battle of the Trench took place. It
was in fact a combined raid by many of the Arab tribes, who wanted to
crush the power of Madinah. It had been instigated by the leaders of
the Bani an-Nadir, who had settled in Khyber after their banishment
from Madinah. They went round to the Quraish and Ghatafan and Hudhail
and many other tribes and induced them to gather all their forces
together and attack Madinah jointly. Thus, in Shawwal, A. H. 5, an
unprecedentedly large army of the Arab tribes marched against the
small city of Madinah. From the north came Jews of Bani an-Nadir and
Bani Qainuqa who after their banishment from Madinah, had settled in
Khaiber and Wad il Qura. From the east advanced the tribes of Ghatafan,
Bani Sulaim, Fazarah, Murrah, Ashja, Sad, Asad, etc. and from the
south the Quraish, along with a large force of their allies. Together
they numbered from ten to twelve thousand men. 
</p>
<p>
Had it been a sudden
attack, it would have been disastrous. But the Holy Prophet was not
unaware of this in Madinah. His intelligence men and the sympathizers
of the Islamic movement and the people influenced by it were present
in every tribe, who kept him informed of the enemy's movements. Even
before the enemy could reach his city, he got a trench dug out on the
north-west of Madinah in six days, and having the Mount Salat their
back, took up a defensive position with 3,000 men in the protection of
the Trench. To the south of Madinah there were many gardens (even now
there are) so that it could not be attacked from that side. To the
east there are lava rocks which are impassable for a large army. The
same is the case with the south western side. The attack, therefore,
could be made only from the eastern and western sides of the Uhud,
which the Holy Prophet had secured by digging a trench. The
disbelievers were not at all aware that they would have to counter the
trench outside Madinah. This kind of a defensive stratagem was unknown
to the Arabs. Thus, they had to lay a long siege in winter for which
they had not come prepared. 
</p>
<p>
After this, only one alternative remained
with the disbelievers: to incite the Jewish tribe of Bani Quraizah,
who inhabited the south eastern part of the city, to rebellion. As the
Muslims had entered a treaty with them that in case of an attack on
Madinah they would defend the city along with them, the Muslims had
made no defensive arrangement there and had even sent their families
to take shelter in the forts situated on that side. The invaders
perceived this weakness of the Islamic defenses. They sent Huyayy bin
Akhtab, the Jewish leader of the Bani an-Nadir, to the Bani Quraizah
so as to induce them to break the treaty and join the war. In the
beginning, they refused to oblige and said that they had a treaty with
Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) who had faithfully abided by it
and given them no cause for complaint. But when Ibn Akhtab said to
them, "Look, I have summoned the united force of entire Arabia against
him: this is a perfect opportunity to get rid of him. If you lose it,
you will never have another opportunity," the anti Islamic Jewish mind
prevailed over every moral consideration and the Bani Quraizah were
persuaded to break the treaty. 
</p>
<p>
The Holy Prophet received news of this.
He at once told Sad bin Ubadah, Sad bin Muadh, Abdullah bin Rawahah
and Khawwat bin Jubair, chiefs of the Ansar, to go and find out the
truth. He advised them that if they found Bani Quraizah still loyal to
the treaty, they should return and say so openly before the Muslim
army; however, if they found that they were bent upon treachery they
should only inform him so that the common Muslims would not be
disheartened. On reaching there the Companions found the Bani Quraizah
fully bent on mischief They told the Companions openly, "There is no
agreement and no treaty between us and Muhammad." At this they
returned to the Islamic army and submitted their report to the Holy
Prophet, saying, "'Adal and Qarah." That is, "The Quraizah are bent
upon doing what the Adal and Qarah had done with the preachers of
Islam at Raji." 
</p>
<p>
This news spread among the Muslims and caused great
consternation among them, for they had been encircled and their city
had been endangered on the side where there existed no defensive
arrangement and where they had also sent their families to take
shelter in the forts. This further increased the activities of the
hypocrites and they started making psychological attacks to break the
morale of the Muslims. One said, "How strange!We were being foretold
that the lands of Caesar and Chosroes would fall to us, but here we
are that not one of us can go out even to relieve himself." Another
one asked for permission to leave his post at the Trench so that he
could go and protect his own house which was in danger. Another one
started making secret propaganda to the effect: "Settle your affair
with the invaders yourselves and hand over Muhammad to them." This was
a highly critical hour of trial, which exposed every person who
harbored any hypocrisy in his heart. Only the true and sincere
Muslims remained firm and steadfast in their resolve and devotion. 
</p>
<p.
The
Holy Prophet at that critical moment initiated peace negotiations with
the Ban Ghatafan and tried to persuade them to accept one third of the
fruit harvest of Madinah and withdraw. But when he asked Sad bin
Ubadah and Sad bin Muadh, chief of the Ansar, for their opinion about
the conditions of peace, they said, "O Messenger of Allah: Is it your
personal wish that we should agree on these conditions, or is it
Allah's Command that we have no option but to accept it?Or, are you
giving this proposal only in order to save us from the enemy?" The
Holy Prophet replied, "I am proposing this only to save you: I see
that the whole of Arabia has formed a united front against you. I want
to divide the enemy." At this the two chiefs protested; saying, "Sir,
if you want to conclude this pact for our sake, kindly forget it.
These tribes could not subdue us under tribute when we were
polytheists. Now that we have the honor of believing in Allah and His
Messenger, will they make us sink to this depth of ignominy? The sword
now shall be the arbiter till Allah passes His judgment between them
and us." With these words they tore up the draft for the treaty which
had not yet been signed. 
</p>
<p>
In the meantime Nuaim bin Masud, a member of
the Ashja branch of the Ghatafan tribe, became a Muslim and came
before the Holy Prophet and submitted: "No one as yet knows that I
have embraced Islam: You can take from me whatever service you
please." The Holy Prophet replied: "Go and sow the seeds of discord
among the enemy."' So, first of all, Nu'aim went to the Quraizah with
whom he was on friendly terms, and said to them, "The Quraish and the
Ghatafan can become wearied of the siege and go back, and they will
lose nothing, but you have to live here with the Muslims. Just
consider what will be your position if the matter turns that way.
Therefore, I would advise you not to join the enemy until the
outsiders should send some of their prominent men as hostages to you."
This had the desired effect upon the Bani Quraizah and they decided to
demand hostages from the united front of the tribes. Then he went to
the chiefs of the Quraish and the Ghatafan and said to them, "The Bani
Quraizah seem to be slack and irresolute. May be they demand some men
as hostage from you, and then hand them over to Muhammad (upon whom be
Allah's peace) to settle their affair with him. Therefore, be very
firm and cautious in your dealing with them." This made the leaders of
the united front suspicious of Bani Quraizah. and they sent them a
message, saying, "We are tired of the long siege; let there be a
decisive battle; let us, therefore, make a general assault
simultaneously from both the sides." The Bani Quraizah sent back the
word, saying, "We cannot afford to join the war unless you hand over
some of your prominent men to us as hostages." The leaders of the
united front became convinced that what Nuaim had said was true. They
refused to send hostages. And the Bani Quraizah, on the other side,
also felt that Nuaim had given them the correct counsel. Thus, the
strategy worked: it divided the enemy against itself. 
</p>
<p>
The siege was
prolonged for more than 25 days. It was winter. The supply of food and
water and forage was becoming more and more scarce everyday and
division in the camp was also a great strain on the state of morale of
the besiegers. Then, suddenly one night a severe windstorm accompanied
by thunder and lightning hit the camp. It added to the cold and
darkness. The wind overthrew the tents and put the enemy in disarray.
They could not stand this severe blow of nature. They left the
battleground even during the night and returned to their homes. When
the Muslims awoke in the morning, there was not a single enemy soldier
to be seen on the battlefield. The Holy Prophet, finding the
battlefield completely empty, said: "The Quraish will never be able to
attack you after this: now you will take the offensive." This was a
correct assessment of the situation. Not only the Quraish but the
united front of all the enemy tribes had made their final assault
against Islam and had failed. Now they could no longer dare invade
Madinah; now the Muslims were on the offensive.
</p>
<h2>Raid on Bani Quraizah</h2>
<p>
When the Holy Prophet returned from the Trench, Gabriel came to him in
the early afternoon with the Divine Command the the Muslims should not
lay aside the arms yet but should deal with the Bani Quraizah as well.
On receipt of this Command, the Holy Prophet got announced: "Everyone
who is steadfast in obedience should not offer his Asr Prayer till he
reaches the locality of the Bani Quraizah." Immediately after this, he
despatched Hadrat Ali with a contingent of soldiers as vanguard
towards the Quraizah. When they reached there, the Jews climbed on to
their roof tops and started hurling abuses on the Holy Prophet and the
Muslims, but their invectives could not save them from the
consequences of their treachery. They had committed breach of the
treaty right at the most critical moment of the war, joined hands with
the invaders and endangered the entire population of Madinah. When
they saw the contingent of Hadrat Ali, they thought that they had come
only to overawe them. But when the whole Islamic army arrived under
the command of the Holy Prophet himself and laid siege to their
quarters, they were very frightened. They could not stand the severity
of the siege for more than two or three weeks. At last, they
surrendered themselves to the Holy Prophet on the condition that they
would accept whatever decision Hadrat Sad bin Muadh, the chief of the
Aus, would give. They had accepted Hadrat Sad as their judge because
in the pre-Islamic days the Aus and the Quraizah had been confederates
and they hoped that in view of the past ties he would help them quit
Madinah as had happened in the case of the Bani Qainuqa and the Bani
an-Nadir before. The people of the Aus themselves wished that Hadrat
Sad treat their previous allies leniently. But Hadrat Sad had just
experienced and seen how the two Jewish tribes who had been allowed to
leave Madinah previously had instigated the other tribes living around
Madinah and summoned the united front of ten to twelve thousand men
against the Muslims. He was also aware how treacherously this last
Jewish tribe had behaved right on the occasion when the city was under
attack from outside and threatened the safety of the whole of its
population. Therefore, he decreed that all the male members of the
Quraizah should be put to death, their women and children taken
prisoners, and their properties distributed among the Muslims. The
sentence was carried out duly. When the Muslims entered their
strongholds they found that the treacherous people had collected 1,500
swords, 300 coats of mail, 2,000 spears and 1,500 shields in order to
join the war. If Allah's succour had not reached the Muslims, all this
military equipment would have been used to attack Madinah from the
rear right at the time when the polytheists were making preparations
for a general assault on the Muslims after crossing the Trench. After
this disclosure there remained no doubt that the decision of Hadrat
Sad concerning those people was absolutely correct.
</p>
<h2>Social Reforms</h2>
<p>
Though the period of two years between the Battles of Uhud and the
Trench was a period of disturbance and turmoil and the Holy Prophet
and his Companions could hardly relax in peace and security even for a
day, the work of reform as a whole and the reconstruction of the
Muslim society continued uninterrupted. This was the time when the
Islamic laws pertaining to marriage and divorce were complemented; the
law of inheritance was introduced, drinking and gambling were
prohibited, and the new laws and regulations concerning many other
aspects of the economic and social life were enforced. 
</p>
<p>
In this
connection, an important thing that needed to be reformed was the
question of the adoption of a son. Whoever was adopted by the Arabs as
a son was regarded as one of their own offspring: he got share in
inheritance; he was treated like a real son and real brother by the
adopted mother and the adopted sister; he could not marry the daughter
of his adopted father and his widow after his death. And the same was
the case if the adopted son died or divorced a wife. The adopted
father regarded the woman as his real daughter-in-law. This custom
clashed in every detail with the laws of marriage and divorce and
inheritance enjoined by Allah in Surahs Al-Baqarah and An-Nisa. It made
a person who could get no share in inheritance entitled to it at the
expense of those who were really entitled to it. It prohibited
marriage between the men and the women who could contract marriage
perfectly lawfully. And, above all, it helped spread the immoralities
which the Islamic Law wanted to eradicate. For a real mother and a
real sister and a real daughter cannot be like the adopted mother and
the adopted sister and the adopted daughter, however one may try to
sanctify the adopted relations as a custom. When the artificial
relations endued with customary sanctity are allowed to mix freely
like the real relations, it cannot but produce evil results. That is
why the Islamic law of marriage and divorce, the law of inheritance
and the law of the prohibition of adultery required that the concept
and custom of regarding the adopted son as the real son should be
eradicated completely. 
</p>
<p>
This concept, however, could not be rooted out
by merely passing a legal order, saying, The adopted son is not the
real son. The centuries old prejudices and superstitions cannot be
changed by mere word of mouth. Even if the people had accepted the
command that these relations were not the real relations, they would
still have looked upon marriage between the adopted mother and the
adopted son, the adopted brother and the sister, the adopted father
and the daughter, and the adopted father- in-law and the daughter-in-
law odious and detestable. Moreover, there would still exist some
freedom of mixing together freely. Therefore, it was inevitable that
the custom should be eradicated practically, and through the Holy
Prophet himself. For no Muslim could ever conceive that a thing done
by the Holy Prophet himself, and done by him under Allah's Command,
could be detestable. Therefore, a little before the Battle of the
Trench, the Holy Prophet was inspired by Allah that he should marry
the divorced wife of his adopted son, Zaid bin Harithah (may Allah be
pleased with him), and he acted on this Command during the siege of
the Bani Quraizah. (The delay probably was caused for the reason
that the prescribed waiting period had not yet ended, and in the
meantime the Holy Prophet had to become busy in the preparation for
war). 
</p>
<h2>Storm of Propaganda at the Marriage of Hadrat Zainab</h2>
<p>
As soon as
the marriage was contracted, there arose a storm of propaganda against
the Holy Prophet. The polytheists, the hypocrites and the Jews, all
were burning with jealousy at his triumphs which followed one after
the other. The way they had been humbled within two years after Uhud,
in the Battle of the Trench, and in the affair of the Quraizah, had
made them sore at heart. They had also lost hope that they could ever
subdue him on the battlefield. Therefore, they seized the question of
this marriage as a god send for themselves and thought they would put
an end to his moral superiority, which was the real secret of his
power and success. Therefore, stories were concocted that Muhammad,
God forbid, had fallen in love with his daughter-in-law, and when the
son had come to know of this, he divorced his wife, and the father
married his daughter-in-law. The propaganda, however, was absurd on
the face of it. Hadrat Zainab was the Holy Prophet's first cousin. He
had known her from childhood to youth. So, there could be no question
of his falling in love with her at first sight. Then he himself had
arranged her marriage with Hadrat Zaid under his personal influence,
although her whole family had opposed it. They did not like that a
daughter of the noble Quraish should be given in marriage to a freed
slave. Hadrat Zainab herself was not happy at this arrangement. But
everyone had to submit to the Holy Prophet's command. The marriage was
solemnized and a precedent was set in Arabia that Islam had raised a
freed slave to the status of the Quraishite nobility. If the Holy
Prophet had in reality any desire for Hadrat Zainab, there was no need
of marrying her to Hadrat Zaid; he himself could have married her. But
in spite of all this, the shameless opponents invented stories of love,
spread them with great exaggeration and publicized them so vehemently
that even some Muslims also began to accept them as true.
</p>
<h2>Preliminary Commandments of Purdah</h2>
<p>
The fact that the tales invented by the enemies also became topics of
conversation among the Muslims was a clear sign that the element of
sensuality in society had crossed all limits. If this malady had not
been there, it was not possible that minds would have paid any
attention whatever to such absurd and disgusting stories about a
righteous and pure person like the Holy Prophet. This was precisely
the occasion when the reformative Commandments pertaining to the law
of <em>Hijab</em> or Purdah were first enforced in the Islamic society. These
reforms were introduced in this Surah and complemented a year later in
Surah An-Nur, when a slander was made on the honor of Hadrat
Aishah.(For further details, see Introduction to Surah An-Nur).
</p>
<h2>Domestic Affairs of the Holy Prophet</h2>
<p>
There were two other problems which needed attention at that time.
Though apparently they pertained to the Holy Prophet's domestic life,
it was necessary to resolve them for the domestic and mental peace of
the person, who was exerting every effort to promote the cause of
Allah's Religion and was day and night absorbed in this great mission.
Therefore, Allah took these two problems also officially in His own
hand. 
</p>
<p>
The first problem was that economically the Holy Prophet at that
time was in straitened circumstances. During the first four years he
had no source of income whatever. In 4 A. H. after the banishment of
the Bani an-Nadir, a portion of their evacuated lands was reserved for
his use by the Command of Allah, but it was not enough for his family
requirements. On the other hand, the duties of the office of
Prophethood were so onerous that they were absorbing all his energies
of the mind and body and heart and every moment of his time, and he
could not make any effort at all for earning his livelihood. In
conditions such as these when his wives happened to disturb his mental
peace because of economic hardships he would feel doubly strained and
taxed. 
</p>
<p>
The other problem was that before marrying Hadrat Zainab, he
had four wives already in the houses: Hadrat Saudah, Hadrat Aishah,
Hadrat Hafsah, and Hadrat Umm Salamah. Hadrat Zainab was his fifth
wife. At this the opponents raised the objection, and the Muslims also
started entertaining doubts, that as for others it had been forbidden
to keep more than four wives at a time, but how the Holy Prophet
himself had taken a fifth wife also.
</p>
<h2>Subject Matter and Topics</h2>
<p>
These were the questions that were engaging the attention of the Holy
Prophet and the Muslims at the time Surah Al-Ahzab was revealed, and
replies to the same form the subject matter of this Surah. 
</p>
<p>
A perusal of
the theme and the background shows that the Surah is not a single
discourse which was sent down in one piece but it consists of several
injunctions and commandments and discourses, which were sent down, one
after the other, in connection with the important events of the time,
and then were put together in one Surah. Its following parts stand out
clearly distinguished from one another: 
</p>
<OL>
<p>
<LI> Verses 1-8 seem to have been
sent down before the Battle of the Trench. Their perusal, keeping the
historical background in view, shows that at the time of their
revelation Hadrat Zaid had already divorced Hadrat Zainab. The Holy
Prophet was feeling the necessity that the concepts and customs and
superstitions of ignorance concerning the adoption of the son should
be eradicated, and he was also feeling that the delicate and deep
sentiments the people cherished about the adopted relations merely on
emotional grounds would not be rooted out until he himself took the
initiative to eradicate the custom practically. But at the same time
he was hesitant and considering seriously that if he married the
divorced wife of Hadrat Zaid then, the hypocrites and the Jews and the
<em>mushriks</em> who were already bent on mischief would get a fresh excuse to
start a propaganda campaign against Islam. This was the occasion of
the revelation of vv. 1-8. 
</p>
<p>
<LI> In verses 9-27 an appraisal has been made
of the Battle of the Trench and the raid against the Bani Quraizah.
This is a clear proof that these verses were sent down after these
events. 
</p>
<p>
<LI> The discourse contained in vv. 28-35 consists of two parts.
In the first part, Allah has given a notice to the wives of the Holy
Prophet, who were being impatient of the straitened circumstances, to
the effect:"Choose between the world and its adornments, and Allah,
His Prophet and the Hereafter. If you seek the former, you should say
so openly: you will not be kept back in hardship even for a day, but
will be sent off gracefully. And if you seek the latter, you should
cooperate with Allah and His messenger and bear patiently." In the
second part, initial steps were taken towards the social reforms whose
need was being felt by the minds moulded in the Islamic pattern
themselves. In this regard, reform was started from the house of the
Holy Prophet himself and his wives were commanded to avoid behaving
and conducting themselves in the ways of the pre Islamic days of
ignorance, ,to remain in their houses with dignity, and to exercise
great caution in their conversation with the other men. This was the
beginning of the Commandments of Purdah. 
</p>
<p>
<LI> Verses 36-48 deal with the
Holy Prophet's marriage with Hadrat Zainab. In this section the
opponents' objection about this marriage have been answered; the
doubts that were being created in the minds of the Muslims have been
removed; the Muslims have been acquainted with the Holy Prophet's
position and status; and the Holy Prophet himself has been counseled
to exercise patience on the false propaganda of the disbelievers and
the hypocrites. 
</p>
<p>
<LI> In verse 49 a clause of the law of divorce has been
laid down. This is a unique verse which was sent down on some occasion
probably in connection with the same events. 
</p>
<p>
<LI> In verses 50-52 a
special regulation of marriage has been laid down for the Holy Prophet,
which points out that he is an exception to the several restrictions
that have been imposed on the other Muslims in regard to marital life.
</p>
<p>
<LI> In verses 53-55 the second step was taken towards social reform. It
consists of the following injunctions: Restriction on the other men to
visit the houses of the Holy Prophet's wives; Islamic etiquette
concerning visits and invitations; the law that only the near
relatives could visit the holy wives in their houses; as for the other
men, they could speak to or ask them a thing from behind a curtain;
the injunction that the Holy Prophet's wives were forbidden for the
Muslims like their mothers; and none could marry any of them after him.
</p>
<p>
<LI> In verses 56-57 warning was given to stop criticizing the Holy
Prophet's marriage and his domestic life, and the believers instructed
not to indulge in fault finding like the enemies of Islam, but to
invoke the blessings of Allah for their Prophet; moreover, they were
instructed that they should avoid falsely accusing one another even
among themselves, not to speak of the person of the Prophet. 
</p>
<p>
<LI> In
verse 59 the third step for social reform was taken. All the Muslim
women were commanded that they should come out well covered with the
outer garments and covering their faces whenever they came out of
their houses for a genuine need. 
</p>
</OL>
<p>
After this till the end of the Surah
the hypocrites and other foolish and mean people have been rebuked for
the propaganda that they were carrying on at that time against Islam
and the Muslims.
</p>

